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September 25, 2013

GOING VINTAGE by Lindsey Leavitt, 2013

When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time. She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy’s cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she’ll get it done. Somehow. (Amazon)

Reviewed by Brooke-Wife, Mother, Reader

Lindsey Leavitt has once again proven to me
that cute, fun reads can also have depth.

From the premise and the cover, I figured this would be a book I would like. It
has a quirky girl trying to figure out who she is, teen romance-both good and
bad, and the fun style of the early 1960's.
I have to admit that as a teenager, I wished that I could have been a teen in
the 1950's when my mom was a teen. I thought poodle skirts, bobby socks,
and the big poufy dresses would be so much fun. I liked the idea of soda
fountains and sock hops and a young Elvis Presley. I thought it would be
such a great time to grow up, much like Mallory feels about 1962.
What I love about GOING VINTAGE and Lindsey Leavitt's stories (I've only read 2) is
that within this fun backdrop the characters are dealing with real difficulties
that many of us face day to day. From the description one would think
that Mallory's major challenge in this book is a boyfriend who cheats. However, that is what starts this story, not
what it is really about.
For fun, Lindsey Leavitt has lists at the beginning of each chapter.
Loved the lists! Loved the characters. Loved the setting of Orange, CA. I am
not from CA, however, my parents grew up in Southern California and my husband
is from Orange County and I have visited and heard about Southern California my
entire life. It was fun to read about some places that I have actually
been. (Although I realize that many
people actually live there and will identify with the setting more, it was
still fun for me.)
This was a great read that I would recommend to my teens.